I want to cook my boyfriend a sepecial meal this evening...?

Question

He eats meat, but I don't. I don't mind cooking two versions of the same meal, but I want something that will taste fantastic, but that is not too complicated to prepare (ad doesn't have hard-to-find ingredients!). I'm moving to a different city soon, and I want our last few weekends together to be special.

Any ideas?!

xSx

Answer 1

Thai Green Vegetable Curry
Fry cauliflower florets in a little sunflower or groundnut oil until browned all over. Add some large pieces of onion at a high heat, then throw in some chunks of carrot, courgettes and a generous amount of chestnut or shitake mushrooms. The high heat will fuse the flavours to perfection.

Next, make a green curry paste. Chop up several very small green chillies (wear rubber gloves for this), a bunch coriander, and 3 or 4 stalks lemongrass (use only the tender leaves within).

Then, add the juice 1 lime, 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce, 5cm ginger, peeled and grated with the juice squeezed out, and a couple of finely chopped shallots.

Finally, add 1 tsp each ground cumin, ground coriander and lime zest. Blitz the lot in a food processor or herb chopping attachment.

Mix with 400ml coconut milk and add to the vegetables, at the same time throwing in a large handful topped and tailed green beans.

Finish off with a small bunch of basil and lime leaves if you can find them. Simmer for 15 minutes until green beans are tender and the vegetables suffused with the Thai flavours. Serve with plain boiled basmati or fragrant Thai (jasmine) rice.

Answer 2

why not try a fish dish

King Prawn Vindaloo Recipe...


32 Raw King Prawns
2 Cups of Curry Massalla Gravy
One onion finely chopped
2 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
8 Finely Chopped Cayenne Chillies
4 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 inches Root Ginger grated
5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 Tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves
1 Tablespoon whole coriander leaves
1 teaspoon Garam Massalla
1 Whole Lemon
De-vein the prawns by cutting along the back and removing the dark black vein.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon.
Make a paste of the curry powder and chilli powder with a little water.
Fry the onion until translucent in the veg oil then add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir fry on medium for a further 5 minutes.
Add the curry and chilli powder paste and stir in and fry for a further 30 secs.
Add the King Prawns and stir fry until pink all over.
Add half the Massalla Gravy and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
If needed add more massalla gravy and water to prevent the curry becoming too thick or dry.
Now add the finely chopped coriander leaves and the juice of the lemon and cook for a further minute.
Serve with the whole coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.

Answer 3

Meatloaf

2 pounds ground beef
2 1/2 cups crushed butter-flavored crackers
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 slices bacon

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix together ground beef, crushed crackers, onion, eggs, 3/4 cup ketchup, and 1/4 cup brown sugar until well blended. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Lay the two slices of bacon over the top.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until cooked through. While the loaf bakes, mix together the remaining 1 cup ketchup, vinegar, salt, mustard and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Spread over the top of the meat loaf for the last 15 minutes of baking.

Answer 4

Try this recipe. You can leave out the meat since you're vegan.

Butter, for greasing dish
12 ounces wide egg noodles
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (packed) grated Fontina cheese
3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella cheese
4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.
Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Its the best mac and cheese you'll ever have. Serve it with a salad and you're good to go.

Answer 5

You and your man are the same as me and mine, i cook for him all the time. Why dont you make spaghetti bolognaise? You can buy the sauce in jars, dolmio is a good one. Cut up a large onion, and a few peppers, red and green, fry in a bit of oil for 5 minutes, then add 500g of mince, stir around until the mince is brown, then add the jar of sause, turn the hob down, leave to simmer on a low heat for about 25 mins. Put some spaghetti on and cook for 15 minutes. When cook pour bolognaise over spaghetti and sprinkle grated cheese on the top. Good luck, he will be really impressed with it, get a nice couple of bottles of wine too and maybe some desert.

Answer 6

This will be difficult if you don't eat meat as I'm not sure what you'll have it its place - but for a man you can't beat a nice simple steak and chips/fries. Big chunky chips, and mushrooms or fried tomatoes on the side (whatever his preference), maybe even a fried egg. Serve this with an ice cold beer. Don't forget that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If you get this right - he may even move with you!!!

Answer 7

You could go Italian and do Beef Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella to start with the do a carbonara for the main course and you just add the cooked ham to his dish once you have served yours. Add a nice focaccia and bottle or white wine and you are on to a winner. For desert by some nice fresh cookies and tub of expensive ice cream. Break it up, mix it up and cover with chocolate shavings!

Answer 8

How about individual lasagnas? You can make the same vegetable mixture for the main sauce, and add meat into his one. Then it's not too much effort for the second meal, its fairly simple, and it tastes great! Serve with garlic bread (buy it and whack it in the oven) and side salad.

Answer 9

Hunni if you are moving away then you don't need to be thinking of food here! If you are wanting him to remember you as a great cook then get out those recipe books. If you want him to be still smilling over you for years to come, then throw them out! Start with champagne then serve only what you can eat in bed.You could do the whole fridge thing with blindfolds or for desert why not serve yourself with whipped cream and chocolate? Blow his mind and with luck he'll want seconds and thirds and... OOOHHH!!!!!

Answer 10

Roast some of your favourite veggies (cut into small pieces) in the oven with olive oil and your favourite herbs, cook some pasta - shells or whatever , then add the roast veggies to a jar of pasta sauce and warm up in a large pan, add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and stir well, and serve with garlic bread, add a bit of chilli powder or black pepper to spice it up a bit if you like it spicy :-)